NUM210 The monumental untruth of their claim – Egypt, where the Israelites were slaves and cried out to God to be saved, was not "a land flowing with milk and honey" – – is what finally made Moses angry. What is going on here? The sages defined it in one of their most famous statements: Any dispute for the sake of Heaven will have enduring value, but every dispute not for the sake of Heaven will not have enduring value. What is an example of a dispute for the sake of Heaven? The dispute between Hillel and Shammai. What is an example of one not for the sake of Heaven? The dispute of Korah and all his company (Mishna Avot 5:21). The rabbis did not conclude from the Korah rebellion that argument is wrong, that leaders are entitled to unquestioning obedience, that the supreme value in Judaism should be – – as it is in some faiths – – submission. To the contrary: argument is the lifeblood of Judaism, so long as it is rightly motivated and essentially constructive in its aims. Judaism is a unique phenomenon: a civilisation all of whose canonical texts are anthologies of argument. In Tanakh, the heroes of faith – Abraham, Moses, Jeremiah, Job – argue with God. Midrash is founded on the premise that there are "seventy faces" – – seventy legitimate interpretations--of Torah. The Mishna is largely constructed on the model of "Rabbi X says this, Rabbi Y says that." The Talmud, far from resolving these arguments, usually deepens them considerably. Argument in Judaism is a holy activity, the ongoing internal dialogue of the Jewish people as it reflects on the terms of its destiny and the demands of its faith. What then made the argument of Korah and his co-conspirators different from that of the schools of Hillel and Shammai? Rabbenu Yona offered a simple explanation: an argument for the sake of Heaven is one that is about truth. An argument not for the sake of Heaven is about power. The difference is immense. If I argue for the sake of truth, then if I win, I win. But if I lose, I also win, because being defeated by the truth is the only defeat that is also a victory. I am enlarged. I learned something I did not know before. In a contest for power, if I lose, I lose. But if I win, I also lose, because in diminishing my opponents I have diminished myself. Moses could not have had a more decisive vindication than a miracle for which he asked and was granted: that the ground open up and swallow his opponents. Yet not only did this not end the argument, it diminished the respect in which Moses was held: "The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 'You have killed the Lord's people,' they said." (Numbers 17:41). That Moses needed to resort to force was itself a sign that he had been dragged down to the level of the rebels. That is what happens when power, not truth, is at stake.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

NUM211 See [[DEUT915]] Deuteronomy 17:20 haughtily GATES 209

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

NUM212 The punishment of those who instill their fear in the land of the living is the result of five factors: two of these are associated with [the sinner] himself, and three with the populace. The two that are associated with the sinner are: The first--for man is [destined to] worms and maggots, and is referred to in this manner even while still living. Not only does he not bend and humble himself but he exerts domination over others [this verse], not for the sake of Heaven. Also prideful thoughts, without [actual] domination, lead to a person's ruin, as the pasuk says (Mishlei 16:5), "Every prideful heart is the abomination of Hashem."

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

NUM213 The belief that anger is always illegitimate continues to be embraced by many religious people … there are times when anger is an appropriate response to others' cruel or otherwise wrongful behavior, and any lesser response is wrong. Among the instances of morally appropriate anger expressed by God and human beings in the Bible are the following: ● Against those who misuse their talents for evil: God is outraged at the prophet Balaam for taking money from the king of Moab to curse the Israelites (Numbers 22:22). Balaam was a man of immense spiritual and intellectual capabilities. The fact that he used these gifts in this way infuriated God. ● Against those who are ungrateful. Laban prospered from Jacob's twenty-year stewardship over his flocks, yet never thanked him. Instead he tried to lower Jacob's wages. In response, "Jacob became incensed and took up his grievance with Laban." (see Genesis 31:36 – 42). ● Against those who commit slander. Moses was outraged by the rebels Korach, Datan, and Abiram, and their false claim that he used his position to aggrandize himself [this verse]. ● Against those who mistreat the poor: the prophet Isaiah, speaking in God's Name, denounced those who oppressed society's most vulnerable members: "That which was robbed from the poor is in your houses. How dare you crush My people and grind the faces of the poor?" says the Lord, God of Hosts" (Isaiah 3:14–15; see also Amos 5:21–22).● Against those who worship false gods: God is furious at King Solomon, who, in his later years, built idolatrous shrines in Israel. "The Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice"(I Kings 11:9).● Against those who make false, and cruel, claims in God's Name: God is angry with Job's friends for telling him that his sufferings were sent by God (Job 42:7). That God, and people such as Jacob, Moses, and Isaiah on the express anger indicates that this emotion, when expressed properly and justly, is a moral one.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

NUM214 (Continued from [[EXOD1008]] Exodus 33:8 gaze SACKS 145-6) Moses issued a detailed reckoning to avoid coming under suspicion that he had personally appropriated some of the donated money. Note the emphasis that the accounting was undertaken not by Moses but "by the Levites under the direction of Itamar," in other words, by independent auditors [Exodus 38:21]. There is no hint of these accusations in the text itself, but the midrash may be based on the remark Moses made during the Korah rebellion [this verse]. Accusations of corruption and personal enrichment have often been leveled against leaders, with or without justification. We might think that since God sees all we do, this is enough to safeguard against wrongdoing. Yet Judaism does not say this. The Talmud records a scene at the deathbed of R. Yohanan b. Zakkai, as the master lay surrounded by his disciples: "They said to him, "Our master, bless us." He said to them, "May it be God's will that the fear of heaven will be as much upon you as the fear of flesh and blood." His disciples asked, "Is that all?" He replied, "Would that you obtained no less than such fear! You can see for yourselves the truth of what I say: when a man is about to commit a transgression, he says, I hope no man will see me." (Berakhot 28b) When humans commit a sin they worry that other people might see them. They forget that God certainly sees them. Temptation befuddles the brain, and no one should believe he is immune to it.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

NUM215 See [[NUM205]] Numbers 16:1 betook SINAI1 65-66

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

NUM216 See [[NUM162]] Numbers 15:30 high hand COHON 276-7

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

NUM217 See [[GEN302]] Genesis 2:18 alone LEHRMAN 197-8

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

NUM218 R. Ashi said: This teaches us that one must not "cling" to a quarrel (Sanhedrin 110a)

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

NUM219 A feeling of guilt for having failed to develop one's potential is a common source of discontent. Those who blame others for their own shortcomings are indeed doomed to a lifetime of discontent. Those who blame themselves may find ultimate contentment after a reassessment of their potential. An individual whose career falls short of his original expectation need not reproach himself if the disappointment is not due to his own neglect. All that we may expect of any individual is that he do his best, no more and no less. Discord, domestic or otherwise, is an irritant as grievous as pain. Fortunately one can do much to remove this cause of discontent. If his manner and character are at fault, he must make amends and change. If another party is at fault and his remonstrances are not heeded, he can physically remove himself from the source of discord. The Bible describes in great detail the discord sowed by Korah due to his jealousy of Moses. When all attempts at reconciliation failed, an order was issued to the people: "Depart from the tents of these wicked man" [this verse]. A physical departure may restore contentment.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT